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OLD BIRMINGHAM PHOTOS FROM STEVEBHx

SteveBhx said:
Good evening
now we are all sorted here are the other images in relation to the on street washing line, same location but a bit further round - other side of the "street" has been demolished and we can see the rear of another row of terraces, a large wall at the end of the street and a bit more washing but not many clues.

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ahh steve so now we have another view of the first photo you posted i think we can clearly see that the the street light and washing line is not actually in the middle of a road as first thought...looks to be just a yard..mind you we did think it strange having a stree light in the middle of the road :D :D great photo but no idea as to the location

lyn
 
Unusual windows - I can't recall ever seeing any like that it Brum but there are lots of areas I'm not very familiar with.
No idea where it might have been.
 
well I amaze myself sometimes- suddenly remembered that I had some slides that need to be scanned but are a mix of seen and not seen, and among them is the image #3,182 which is Court of Great Colmore Street - I know you will have all the information to find the location. so now we know this location I assume the previous two images are from a similar location .
 
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something a bit different now- according to the barrow this is Smithfield market , a lot different to the markets of today, barrows are nice and the selection of goods stacked on the side. I like the traders signs hanging and the cobbled road surface. I also like the wrought iron work and pillars and the engine sign. Couple of lorries too.

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coming towards the end of the redevelopment of New Street Station now, while the shopping centre is still under construction and there are a few holes along the Queensway this is pretty much the centre of Birmingham for the next 30 years. There are a few more building to be demolished and the ramp to be constructed but it is all recognisable.

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A Sparks said:
Unusual windows - I can't recall ever seeing any like that it Brum but there are lots of areas I'm not very familiar with.
No idea where it might have been.
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They look a little similar to the terraces on Lawrence St, Gosta Green (without the fancy windows)...

Lawrence St Gosta Green

Hi everyone, I have come across these two old photos of court yards on a blog; they were posted in 2006 but never had any responses. This is the note that was attached with the pictures :- Two images sent in by Peter Turner of housing in the Aston area. The photographs were taken shortly...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
SteveBhx said:
something a bit different now- according to the barrow this is Smithfield market , a lot different to the markets of today, barrows are nice and the selection of goods stacked on the side. I like the traders signs hanging and the cobbled road surface. I also like the wrought iron work and pillars and the engine sign. Couple of lorries too.

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What a fantastic picture that is. It almost looks as if it has been staged for the photographer. Such a lot to look at and although everyone is stationary, there is a lot of movement captured and portrayed excellently. The Bedford TK on the left looks highly polished. The Austin is an FK model I think.
The beams of sunlight are cantered on the Bedford. The cobbled floor. The rubbish. What is the 'barraboy' in front of the Nicholls lorry doing, has the wheel on the 'barra' come loose or has he found a broken spoke?
Fabulous pic. I LOVE It.
Thanks for posting it.
 
SteveBhx said:
well I amaze myself sometimes- suddenly remembered that I had some slides that need to be scanned but are a mix of seen and not seen, and among them is the image #3,182 which is Court of Great Colmore Street - I know you will have all the information to find the location. so now we know this location I assume the previous two images are from a similar location .
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Steve, I'm surprised these are in colour, 182 has a patch of red on the washing line - is this Kodachrome? I assume these are 35mm. Phyllis Nicklin photographed Great Colmore Street in 1953, but not the courts. Derek

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SteveBhx said:
Steve here,
I had the fortune to work with the great Geoff Thompson at Birmingham planning department when they were clearing out their offices, I also came across the same selection of photos and slides that were been thrown out and could only work out later why the number of pictures kept reducing and often panicked me that actually someone needed the pictures!!
As you may be aware the black and white pictures were used for advert applications, colour slide were for urban regeneration comparison.
I have 100+ colour slide and 300+ black and white pictures, these have occasionally been used in local history books and for study purposes.
I have started scanning the photos and hope to post a selection on the appropriate pages - I have attached a sample from the selection of corner shops many no longer exist and include the many old adverts and vehicles from the age - the one I have attached is 121 Borsesley Green from 1974
Hopefully you will enjoy my posts
Steve

Many thanks to oldMohawk for providing the document below:

Index to Photos in this Thread:
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Steve, thank you for posting the photos.
 
SteveBhx said:
something a bit different now- according to the barrow this is Smithfield market , a lot different to the markets of today, barrows are nice and the selection of goods stacked on the side. I like the traders signs hanging and the cobbled road surface. I also like the wrought iron work and pillars and the engine sign. Couple of lorries too.

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Exactly how I remember it, from my regular visits to the wholesale market in the 60s with my Dad. It was a busy place to be. Thanks for posting this.
 
Stokkie said:
Steve, I'm surprised these are in colour, 182 has a patch of red on the washing line - is this Kodachrome? I assume these are 35mm. Phyllis Nicklin photographed Great Colmore Street in 1953, but not the courts. Derek

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The slides are metal framed with glass fronts, unfortunately they are also taped up with black tape to stop them popping open, I will see what I can do though
 
SteveBhx said:
The slides are metal framed with glass fronts, unfortunately they are also taped up with black tape to stop them popping open, I will see what I can do though
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Perhaps not risk damaging them then. They sound old and professionally mounted. I'm guessing early 1950s?
 
Stokkie said:
Perhaps not risk damaging them then. They sound old and professionally mounted. I'm guessing early 1950s?
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Just had another look at the slide as you say its professionally wrapped although there may be others in different mounts - I will have a look sometime.
 
This image is slightly different workbenches in the Jewellery Quarter - could be anytime in the last 100 years as it looks like nothing has changed- curtains hanging I assume to diffuse the sunlight, lamps on all work areas, love the rows of pliers and all the bottles of liquids - i presume all poisonous and not a label or warning in site. Also see the brass arms of the gas burners . The trays infront of workbenches acted as dust catchers - all the filings were kept and refined - that dust is quite valuable!. There is one deliberate mistake - see if anyone spots it - and I don't mean the calendar on the wall.
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If we compare this image to https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/for...ingham-photos-from-stevebhx.52814/post-784636 we can see that there has been a lot of work carried out in the intervening years- the Royal Angus has been built the underpass / roundabout has been finished and the tracks have started to be lifted in Snow Hill Station. Still plenty of car parks and there is a massive sandcastle next to the station !! A look at the very back of the photo shows the old buildings at the top of Dale end which is ironic as they have started to remove the current building in the last few days

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SteveBhx said:
This image is slightly different workbenches in the Jewellery Quarter - could be anytime in the last 100 years as it looks like nothing has changed- curtains hanging I assume to diffuse the sunlight, lamps on all work areas, love the rows of pliers and all the bottles of liquids - i presume all poisonous and not a label or warning in site. Also see the brass arms of the gas burners . The trays infront of workbenches acted as dust catchers - all the filings were kept and refined - that dust is quite valuable!. There is one deliberate mistake - see if anyone spots it - and I don't mean the calendar on the wall.
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Intrigued by the floor covering. Are the sections of slats just to keep feet warm or something particular to the jewellery trade?
 
When I visited the jewellery quarter around 1970 one man told me thta every 6 months or so someone from a recovery firm came round with a hoover device to collect dust, and theat they even took up the floorboards to check for any thta might have seeped through. I dont remember there being slatted floors (thougbh it was 50 years ago) , but these would be much easier to raise for them to do that
 
One of my ancestors got 5 years hard labour for collecting up the gold scrap/deposits (lemel) and selling it on. Don’t think he’d have been able to discretely collect it up if the workshop had slatted floors. Maybe that was the idea of the slatting - gold drops through the slats to be collected later. Viv.
 
SteveBhx said:
This image is slightly different workbenches in the Jewellery Quarter - could be anytime in the last 100 years as it looks like nothing has changed- curtains hanging I assume to diffuse the sunlight, lamps on all work areas, love the rows of pliers and all the bottles of liquids - i presume all poisonous and not a label or warning in site. Also see the brass arms of the gas burners . The trays infront of workbenches acted as dust catchers - all the filings were kept and refined - that dust is quite valuable!. There is one deliberate mistake - see if anyone spots it - and I don't mean the calendar on the wall.
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The Nescafe tin sitting in the middle of the closest work bench - the lettering is backwards so the picture is a mirror image?
 
Vivienne14 said:
One of my ancestors got 5 years hard labour for collecting up the gold scrap/deposits (lemel) and selling it on. Don’t think he’d have been able to discretely collect it up if the workshop had slatted floors. Maybe that was the idea of the slatting - gold drops through the slats to be collected later. Viv.
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Money to be made with the 'sweepings up'. It's a simple solution. They look to be laid like tiles.
 
John L said:
Exactly how I remember it, from my regular visits to the wholesale market in the 60s with my Dad. It was a busy place to be. Thanks for posting this.
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Note the sign " Have you switched off your engine? the dawn of health & safety o_O
 
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mikejee said:
When I visited the jewellery quarter around 1970 one man told me thta every 6 months or so someone from a recovery firm came round with a hoover device to collect dust, and theat they even took up the floorboards to check for any thta might have seeped through. I dont remember there being slatted floors (thougbh it was 50 years ago) , but these would be much easier to raise for them to do that
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I remember my Dad telling me that before his electricians were allowed in to do any work the floors and under the floorboards had to be vacuumed in case there was any gold. I assume they didn't want the electricians fnding any.
 
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